Locals react, speculate next move by Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI leaving at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican in 2010. The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Benedict XVI will resign on Feb. 28.

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008, file photo, Pope Benedict XVI holds the pastoral staff as he celebrates Christmas midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Declaring that he lacks the strength to do his job, Benedict announced Monday Feb. 11, 2013, he will resign Feb. 28 _ becoming the first pontiff to step down in 600 years. His decision sets the stage for a mid-March conclave to elect a new leader for a Roman Catholic Church in deep turmoil. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

Pope Benedict XVI gives his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in 2007.

For the first time in about 600 years, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is stepping down from his position.

“It’s more of an abdication,” said Marty Martin, chancellor for the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock.

He’s not really resigning to anyone, Martin said.

Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday his last day in the position will be Feb. 28.

The announcement came as much a surprise to local community as the worldwide one.

“It was a shock to me,” said Monsigneur Eugene Driscoll, vicar general for the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock.

“It took a lot of courage for him to be so willing to accept his own limitations. That is something that is a great example to all of us.”

Driscoll said he believes the decision was made after limitless amounts of prayer and not as spontaneously as the announcement seemed.

Jay Givens, professor of religion at Wayland Baptist University, said the last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1414.

Givens said Roman Catholics went through a period of indecisiveness of a leader. The cardinals who choose the pope were divided and three rulers were elected. The controversy is now referred to as the Great Western Schism.

Since then, Givens said, all popes before Benedict XVI have died in office.

The death of every pope is traditionally followed by a period of mourning before the vacancy is filled again, Martin said.

He said it is too early to tell what the Vatican next move is or how it will impact the Catholic community.

“There won’t be any direct effect,” Martin said. “It’s not quite the same thing as when the church went into mourning. This is a different situation than that.”

Following the Feb. 28 resignation, Givens said the cardinals will act as leaders of the church until the successor is named.

Driscoll said the conclave is expected to name a new pope by Easter. Until then, he said he expects to see an outpouring of curiosity.

“I think for our church, there will be anxiousness and people wanting to be aware of what’s going to take place,” he said.